The present invention relates generally to insulating open walls and ceilings in building structures, and more particularly, to an insulation confining shield for receiving insulation dispensed as curable liquid having a blowing agent or an insulation material with a curable adhesive, in an unfinished wall or ceiling, and which minimizes thermal losses through the framing structure.
It is well known in the art to utilize various types of insulating materials and methods for applying such materials to insulate a building structure. In the past, insulation materials have been supplied as rigid sheets, rolled strips or batts which were secured in position beneath the roof, above the ceiling, inside the walls or under the floor(s) of the structure.
To enable easier application of insulation to such areas, certain insulation materials have been applied under pressure through a nozzle, making the application process much easier and less costly. These materials are generally characterized as "blowable" or "blown" insulation, and comprise particulate or comminuted rock wool, cellulose or fiberglass, or a variety of particulate or comminuted forms.
Although such insulation materials are easier to apply to a building structure than the rigid sheet or strip types, they have several drawbacks. The particulate material has a tendency to settle, requiring an application to be continued until the density of the compact mass equals the settling density of the material. This requires that a cavity be defined for the blown insulation to be introduced into necessitating the backing surface to be installed prior to the insulation application process. In the case of an open attic, for example, it has been necessary for the installer to be located above the open framing structure for the ceiling. Furthermore, it was necessary to provide some kind of backing material to blow the insulation against. This backing material would have to be cut and formed around bracing, wiring, plumbing, etc., making for a labor-intensive process. Alternatively, it would be necessary for a contractor to install a drywall ceiling or wall prior to the application of insulation to provide a surface to spray against. This practice limits construction scheduling options as it is necessary for workers who are installing the roofing or walls to do so prior to the application of the insulation and to return again afterwards to complete the job.
A prior art insulation confining panel and method which enables blown insulation to be installed between a floor, wall, or ceiling is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,292,777 to Story ("Story"). The Story patent discloses a rectangular cardboard sheet which has two parallel longitudinal scores dividing the sheet into a pair of rectangular bendable margins joined by a sheet central portion. The width of the sheet central portion is substantially the same as the distance between adjacent floor or ceiling joints of a building structure. The longitudinal sheet margins have transverse slots dividing the margins into rows of separate tabs. These tabs are secured to adjacentjoints such that the sheet central portion extends between the joints to form a tray for holding a layer of blowable insulation material against the ceiling or floor. A plurality of air vents are disposed in the sheet central portion to enable air to escape when blowable insulation is inserted between the sheet central portion and an adjacent surface such as a floor or wall. The vents are sized to prevent any insulation from escaping the tray during installation. In using the Story confining panel, blowable insulation is inserted to holes defined in either of the floor or ceiling such that the insulation fills the space therebetween after the floor or ceiling has already been installed. As briefly discussed above, the blown particulate insulation materials are susceptible to settling, thereby requiring a confined area into which the materials are introduced. Accordingly, the Story patent does not teach application of a blowable insulation against a confining panel in an open wall or floor prior to installation of the floor or wall material. Furthermore, Story does not teach a way of applying blowable insulation against the confining panel in an open wall or ceiling in a manner that prevents unwanted heat transfer through the structural framing on the sides of such framing opposite to the side of insulation application, for example, the top surfaces of the ceiling joints in an open ceiling. The configuration of the Story panel does not allow insulation to migrate through the vents to seal the framing structures. The vents are situated such that insulation passing through the vents would not come into contact with the framing members preventing unwanted heat transfer.
These blown particulate insulation materials have settling characteristics such that their thickness and consequent R-value is substantially reduced over the originally applied amount. For this reason, the confining panel in Story is a horizontal tray which acts to define a chamber with the installed adjacent ceiling or floor structure into which the blowable insulation is applied until a compact mass of such insulation fills the space. The blowing application is maintained until the density of the compact mass confined by the panel and the wall or floor is at least equal to the settling density of that material. In this regard, the ventilation apertures in the central sheet portion of the confining panel enable air to escape the confined space into which the insulation is applied. The blown insulation is applied under substantial pressure, e.g., about 3.5 psi.
The Story structure and method of application, however, does not teach the application of a spray insulation material dispensed as a curable liquid or an insulation material with a curable adhesive, having sufficient viscosity to allow the material to adhere to the underlying surface, even under its own weight. An example of such a material is marketed under the name INSEALATION, available from Icynene, Inc. Such components are typically comprised of soft, white polyicyene foam, that is chemically related to a pillow or upholstery foam. It is sprayed into the spaces between the structural members of walls, adheres to virtually all building materials, and flows through voids, cracks and crevices. This material eliminates the need to have a confining chamber defined around the volume of applied insulation. Other materials include those with a curable adhesive such as cellulose or fiberglass mixed with an appropriate adhesive agent that cures after the material is applied to a suitable surface.
Other prior art patents directed to the use of channel-like barriers in walls, floors or ceilings to facilitate the application of insulation are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,788,552 to Miles ("Miles"), which shows a vapor barrier for hollow walls that is placed into an existing wall between the studs thereof, and then filled with an insulating material.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,619,437 to McDonald ("McDonald") teaches a spray insulation applied to the cavities between joints of a ceiling using a foraminous material through which the insulation is sprayed to capture the insulation from below. Specifically, the method entails installing the joints, placing the foraminous material over the joints and then securing it with clips. A flat, rigid material such as a plywood sheet is then placed over the joints and clips, the spray insulation is then sprayed between the burlap, which coalesces within the cavity defined between the burlap and the plywood sheet.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,160,987 to Pinkley ("Pinkley") teaches an insulation dam to prevent blown particulate insulation from clogging vents located in the eaves of a structure. Pinkley does not secure the dam to the top plate of the structure. The dam in Pinkley is only secured to the roof rafters. There are no spacing means to prevent installation of the dam in a manner which completely seals the eave. Because the dam is only secured to the rafters and not the top plate of the structure if the insulation is installed with sufficient pressure it will force flap 27 open, filling the eave with insulation. As briefly discussed above, blown particulate insulation materials are susceptible to settling, thereby requiring a confined area into which the materials are introduced. Accordingly, the Pinkley patent does not teach application of a blowable insulation against a confining panel in an open wall or floor prior to installation of the ceiling material. The ceiling 23 must be in place to utilize the Pinkley invention. Furthermore, Pinkley cannot be used when there is a large space between the top plate and the roof rafters. There is no height adjustment to allow the Pinkley dam to fit in structures other than those where the roof rafters rest on the top plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,189,870 to Fitzgerald ("Fitzgerald") teaches an insulation dam for use in the eaves of a structure which overcome some of the disadvantages of Pinkley described above. In Fitzgerald the dam is secured to the roof rafters at both ends. There are no supports along the length of the dam because there are flanges which keep the dam spaced from the roof sheeting insuring a path for air to flow. Over time the lack of support along the length of the dam will allow the dam to sag, compressing the insulation. The Fitzgerald dam, like the Pinkley dam can only be used when the ceiling is already installed. The Fitzgerald dam also lacks a height adjustment. As the space between the top plate and the roof rafters increase the Fitzgerald dam has no way to adjust to meet the greater height requirement.
While the advantages of using spray insulation which is dispensed as a curable liquid with a blowing agent or an insulation material with a curable adhesive are known, it has still been necessary for a backing surface to be installed prior to the insulation application. The present invention facilitates the insulation installation in open walls or ceilings enabling the insulation process to be completed prior to covering the ceilings or walls or where they are to remain open.